The Bulgarian Society of Biomedical Physics and Engineering was founded (BSBPE) in 1971. It is a collective member of the Union of the Medical Societies in Bulgaria.

From 1962 to 1971 the scientists – "medical physicists" were members of the Bulgarian Society of Radiology while the scientists – "biomedical engineers" were members in the Section of Medical Electronics which was a section in the Bulgarian Physiological Society. These two groups of scientists merged to form the new Bulgarian Society of Biomedical Physics and Engineering. Thus came to life one of the oldest biomedical scientific societies in the world and this notable fact makes us proud.

Among the founders of the society are the medical physicists Prof. V. Vransky, R. Poppitz, V. Penchev, M. Ganchev and the medical engineers D. Karadimov, I. Stamboliev, Prof. I. Daskalov.

The activities of the Society are of a great variety and with different intensities throughout the years. They include organization of National Conferences, distribution of information on scientific conferences and symposia from abroad, revision of new books, approbation of dissertations or publications, celebration of anniversaries of important scientific events, participation in the education and especially in the organization of postgraduate training of medical physicists and engineers from Bulgaria and abroad, advising the Ministry of Health and other government agencies on major problems of medical physics and engineering such as acquisition of special instrumentation and distribution of clinical physics and engineering services, etc.

The Society holds its regular scientific conferences each four years. Many Bulgarian and foreign biomedical physicists and engineers participate actively by presenting papers and joining discussions. Scientists from USA, France, Germany, England, India and from all Central and Eastern European countries have taken part in the six conferences held since 1972. The 5^th Conference (1988) included a WHO Symposium on Medical Technology Assessment dealing with major medical, bioengineering and medical physics topics on evaluation of needs of modern procedures and instrumentation.

The Annual Colloquium “Physics in Protection of Man and Environment” organized jointly by BSBPE and the Sofia association of the Union of Bulgarian Physicists has gained wide acceptance and popularity as it is convened already 19 years in succession. Every year specific ecological subjects are considered attracting most of the specialists. The main working approach is in the form of discussions and about 15 – 20 reports and scientific communications are presented. The colloquium proceedings are published and distributed free of charge to the participants and many institutions as well as to public libraries. The Ministry of Ecology is a co-organizer during the last few years. The traditional time and place of this event is June in Giulechitza located in the heart of the Rila mountain where the Scientific Rest House of the Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski” is set up.

The Bulgarian Society of Biomedical Physics and Engineering (BSBPE) is a collective member of the European Organization of Medical Physics (EOMP) and the International Federation of Medical and Biological Engineering (IFMBE). Close contacts are maintained with both organizations as well as with the International Organization of Medical Physics (IOMP). They provide the BSBPE with information and support for participation in international schools and conferences. IOMP donated to BSBPE many medical physics books and journal issues. That scientific literature is officially included in the library of the University Hospital “Queen Joanna” where it is available to all Bulgarian specialists. The BSBPE is maintaining good contacts with the identical organizations in Germany, Czech Republic, Poland, Hungary, Greece, Turkey and others. Thanks to Dr. D. White since 1992 the BSBPE has collaborated actively with the Clinical Science Foundation – London. It subsidized three seminars on Radiation Physics with invited lecturers from abroad and financially supported members of the BSBPE to participate in the 8^th Congress of the Bulgarian Radiological Society in Varna, October 1995. Dedicated to the Centenary of the invention of X-rays. Prof. V. C. Roberts and Dr. S. Tabakov (a former member of BSBPE) initiated a “Tempus” project, financed by the European Commission, for the organization of an international postgraduate course on Medical Radiation Physics in the Medical and Technical Universities in Plovdiv.

The Medical Radiation Physics was the first developed area of Medical Physics in Bulgaria. Its beginning could be marked by the work of Prof. A. Sakhatchiev in 1920 on the measurement of X-rays.

The first medical physicist who worked in the field of dosimetry of ionizing radiation in Bulgaria was Prof. V. Vransky. He was also the first lecturer in radiological dosimetry and radiotherapy postgraduate courses for medical doctors as well as the author of the first manual in this field (Basics of Radiological Dosimetry, 1953). In the introduction of his book, the author clearly stated its objectives: assistance to medical doctors in the substitution of the empirical attitude with a scientific one in their practice.

Prof. Vransky worked in a period when an intensive development of radiology, radiotherapy and nuclear medicine was initiated. The first laboratories of clinical dosimetry and radiation protection were established in the former Institute of Postgraduate Medicine, presently the University Hospital "Queen Joanna", and in the National Centre of Oncology. The Ministry of Health founded a Quality Control Laboratory for Radiology and Radiotherapy authorized to supervise all hospitals. The unit in the University Hospital was established as a National Secondary Standard Laboratory of Ionising Radiation Dosimetry in 1975. Since 1977 it has been involved in the network of secondary dosimetry laboratories under the IAEA and WHO. The laboratory has taken part in international comparison studies and is responsible for the regular supervision of the Co-60 telegammatherapy units in the country. The Clinical Dosimetry Laboratory of the National Centre of Oncology has participated in international comparison studies on dosimetry of high energy electrons and photons and of X-rays organized by the IAEA. One of the first accelerators in Eastern Europe ("Betatron 42 MeV") has been operating in the Centre since 1969.

The radiology physics is still the most developed area of Medical physics in Bulgaria. About 25 medical physicists work in the national and regional centres of radiotherapy and nuclear medicine. The Radiation Protection Laboratories establishes in 1960 as well as the respective Departments to the Regional Environment Protection Inspectorates employ about 100 specialists and the majority of them are physicists. They are under the methodological supervision of the National Centre of Radiobiology and Radiation Protection. The latter itself being a research institute where numerous physicists work.

Second largest group of physicists are engaged in control and research of the hygiene connected with different harmful agents and factors. The Laboratory of Electromagnetic Non-ionizing Radiation at the National Centre of Hygiene and Medical Ecology is very initiative. Its functions include research, teaching and inspections all over the country.

Another group of physicists are engaged in the field of climatology and therapy in a climatic environment. Their activity is important in view of the various favourable climatic conditions in Bulgaria.

Postgraduate educational courses in Medical Radiation Physics and Hygiene Physics are regularly organized by the Medical University of Sofia. The courses duration is minimum 2 years following up-to-date curricula. Several tenths of physicists mainly involved in radiotherapy and nuclear medicine have graduated. Many of them are engaged in the Departments of Medical Physics and Biophysics at the Bulgarian Medical Universities. Short courses and individual training programmes in Medical Radiation Physics are also organised by several research centres in this field. Educational and training activities for physicists and engineers in radiology and radiotherapy are supported by IAEA, EFOMP, EC and other international and some national organizations through research contracts, felloship grants, measurements instrumentation, etc.

The first biomedical engineer in Bulgaria was S. Karadimov who had introduced X-ray and electrical therapy instrumentation in the country before the Second World War. He was an agent of a foreign manufacturer and established a service and maintenance unit. These activities were further developed by him and the X-ray technicians S. Stefanov and V. Stefanov. In 1956 medical engineering attracted several young engineers. K. Popov and E. Milev contributed to the maintenance of the complex medical instrumentation. Under the supervision of S. Karadimov local production of electrotherapy instrumentation was started. The research group with the following members: K. Marinchev D. Karadimov, I. Stamboliev and I. Daskalov, managed the production. Several years later L. Jovev and K. Popov assisted by I. Dotsinsky, headed the newly established Institute of Medical Engineering with both objectives - development and production control of medical instrumentation. A research and clinical engineering unit, Department of Biomedical Engineering, was created within the former Medical Academy, today Medical University and its Head was Prof. I. Daskalov.

I. Stamboliev initiated the education of medical engineers in 1974. A specialization of medical electronics was established within the Department of Electronics Engineering at the Technical University of Sofia. In spite of some decline in the interest in engineering sciences in the last several years there are 45 graduates in average in medical electronics.

Teaching and research activities are combined due to the intense collaboration between the Faculty of Electronic Engineering and Technology and the Centre of Biomedical Engineering of the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences. Ph.D. and diploma theses are jointly supervised. Common projects are developed. Links with several industrial groups are maintained. Educational activities in biomedical engineering were undertaken in the last years by the Technical Universities in the cities of Varna, Plovdiv (a Department of the Technical University in Sofia) and Gabrovo. Considerable improvement in this direction was achieved due to an EC supported "Tempus" project offering also the possibility for about 10 Bulgarian students to attend an international postgraduate bioengineering course in the University of Patras (Greece). Bulgarian professors have the opportunity to participate by teaching in this course.

Science and research activities in biomedical engineering are concentrated mainly in several institutions in Sofia. These are the Centre of Biomedical Engineering, the bioengineering groups in the Institute of Physiology and the Institute of Biophysics, Department of Medical Electronics in the Technical University in Sofia, the Clinical Engineering Department in the Medical University and the Military Medical Academy. More than 350 papers on different topics of biomedical engineering have been published in international scientific journals and books by our researchers cited by more than 800 authors abroad.

Clinical Engineering has a prolong tradition in Bulgaria. About 800 engineers and technicians are engaged in this field. Some of them are in separate service units as agents of foreign manufacturers and some are clinical engineers in large hospitals throughout the country. The majority of them are Technical University-Sofia graduates in medical electronics.

The medical engineering industry used to include assemblies of X-ray units manufactured by foreign firms in the locally developed X-ray units and electrotherapy devices, standard blood pressure measurement devices, surgical instruments etc.